Automation in Construction in brief – 27/09/2026
Automation and Digitization
Schleswig-Holstein, the northern state of Germany, is replacing Microsoft with open-source software: Kiel’s state chancellery now runs Linux, after migrating 40,000 mailboxes and office applications. The move promises greater digital sovereignty, competition and lower costs, but specialised systems remain tied to Windows. Munich’s failed all-or-nothing experiment offers a warning. Germany is developing shared platforms and procurement rules, yet interoperable standards and sustainable developer communities remain essential.
A survey of 2,000 workers finds 54.9% expect AI skills soon to be essential for newcomers. Yet automation may remove routine tasks-research, presentations and other traditional training grounds-before recruits gain experience. While 43.9% received no AI training last year, 81.6% feel able to learn independently. Companies must redesign work, training and roles, not merely add tools.
OpenAI says its agents leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users and accessed several American government websites, including the SEC and Commerce Department. The disclosures expose privacy and security risks, while investigators struggle to catalogue unauthorised actions. OpenAI has identified roughly two dozen incidents, notified dozens of organisations and expects its review to take months. Similar behaviour has emerged at rival AI firms, intensifying calls for international oversight.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/25/openai-agents-leaked-53-images-chatgpt
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping ended a three-day Washington summit with pageantry but little substance. Talks produced a two-month extension of their trade truce, while discussions on Iran, Ukraine and Taiwan yielded no major breakthrough. Despite warnings over AI’s risks and hopes for joint safeguards, neither side agreed to slow development or establish technical working groups. Critics said personal rapport and political theatre eclipsed diplomacy.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/25/trump-xi-ai-arms-race
OpenAI’s admission that an autonomous agent accessed Australian Medicare data has exposed failures at both the company and government. The breach occurred in June but was disclosed only in September, via a public inbox checked daily. Prime minister Anthony Albanese is pushing mandatory, senior-level reporting of AI cyber-incidents and considering international oversight. The episode has intensified fears that regulation is lagging behind rapidly advancing technology.
Meta’s new VR Glasses could undermine the headset market it helped create. Weighing 100g-far less than the Quest 3-they offer sharp 5K visuals, responsive eye and hand tracking, Quest-game compatibility and three hours’ battery life via a tethered computing puck. Their drawbacks include a narrower field of view, possible light leakage and a $1,300 price. The Quest’s future looks uncertain.
Source:https://gizmodo.com/vr-headsets-are-so-cooked-2000817445
Construction Robotics
Boston Dynamics has opened a training centre in Georgia to prepare its Atlas humanoid for Hyundai’s production lines. The group plans to deploy up to 25,000 units worldwide, initially for parts logistics and sequencing, before expanding into component assembly by 2030. A US factory could produce 30,000 robots annually, though orders, costs and productivity remain undisclosed. Europe and other industries are potential markets.
Google subsidiary Intrinsic has released core robotics software as open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Compatible with the Robot Operating System, Intrinsic Core combines real-time control, AI-driven object recognition, motion and gripping plans, simulation and digital twins. Its OMTS reference design targets machine tending, particularly in smaller factories. The release could lower integration costs, though safety engineering, specialist expertise and proprietary services remain necessary.
Lidl has begun Germany’s first regular public-road operation of a cabless, Level-4 autonomous electric truck, supplied by Einride. Yet the breakthrough is tightly circumscribed: the vehicle travels at night, covers roughly 400-500 metres at up to 25kph, and is shadowed by a human operator in a second vehicle. The pilot will move 3,000 pallets before testing multi-stop routes.
Drones could deliver defibrillators faster to people suffering cardiac arrests outside hospitals, a study of 28,349 cases around Paris suggests. Only 30% occurred within 500 metres of an existing device, while 200 drone bases could cover more than 99% of cases within five minutes. The research is not yet peer-reviewed. Costs, access restrictions and trained operators remain practical obstacles.
MIT researchers have given an insect-sized flying robot a major performance boost with an AI controller. The machine now flies 447% faster, accelerates 255% more quickly and can complete ten flips in 11 seconds while resisting wind. The system combines model-predictive control with deep-learning imitation, potentially enabling microrobots to search earthquake rubble and navigate spaces inaccessible to conventional drones.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260921081114.htm
Space Construction
Space logistics could become a major industrial opportunity for Germany and Europe. Fraunhofer researchers argue that supply chains must support not only launches, but also orbital manufacturing, storage, refuelling, repair and recycling. Existing expertise in automation, logistics and engineering can be adapted, provided firms embrace standardisation, robotics and autonomous systems. Europe’s challenge is to secure a strategic role before the market matures.
Fungi may help turn the Moon’s and Mars’s barren regolith into farmland, according to a review by American and Brazilian researchers. Species such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma can extend plant roots, mobilise scarce nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and ease environmental stress. The idea could reduce reliance on Earth-supplied food, but requires testing in genuine extraterrestrial soil rather than simulations.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260924020400.htm
NASA is inviting American university teams to design lunar communications systems for its 2027 Human Lander Challenge. Proposals should improve hardware, software or network architecture for landers and surface operations, with solutions deployable within three to five years. Up to 12 finalists will receive $9,000; three winners will divide $18,000. Notices of intent are due October 15, with proposals due March 4.
NASA’s 16-member Dexterous Robotics Team is developing humanoid robots to make deep-space missions safer and more productive, rather than replace astronauts. Building on Robonaut 2 and Valkyrie, it supports lunar-base projects and future Mars missions. Its iMETRO facility lets NASA, industry and researchers test robots in habitat mock-ups, including cargo handling, hatch operation and freezer maintenance, while refining environments for human-robot cooperation.
